Youth Smoking Abstinence

Key Messages
Students who have Never Smoked
Smoking Abstinence by Grade
Socioeconomic Status and Smoking Abstinence

Key Messages

• Most students report never having smoked a cigarette.
• The proportion of students across Ontario who have never smoked has increased since 2015.
• Students with higher perceived socioeconomic status were less likely to have ever smoked cigarettes.

Students who have Never Smoked

• According to the 2019 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS), 82% (77.4, 85.7%) of Simcoe Muskoka students report never having smoked a cigarette, similar to the provincial rate.
• The percent of Ontario students who report never smoking significantly increased, from 81% (79.0%, 82.7%) in 2015 to 86% (85.1%, 87.7%) in 2019.

Smoking Abstinence by Grade

• As students progress through school, they become significantly more likely to have ever smoked a cigarette.
• 98% (96.4%, 98.6%) of Simcoe Muskoka students in Grades 7 & 8 had never smoked a cigarette in 2019. This drops to only 64% (54.5%, 72.9%) of students in Grades 11 & 12 remaining smoke-free.

Socioeconomic Status and Smoking Abstinence

• Students with higher perceived socio-economic status were more likely to report never smoking. This is statistically significant in Ontario, but not for Simcoe Muskoka students.

Further Reading

For more information on smoking in youths, see:

• Simcoe Muskoka HealthSTATS Youth Smoking page
• Focus Report: Youth Health in Simcoe Muskoka
• Simcoe Muskoka Dangers of Smoking and Vaping
• Simcoe Muskoka Youth and Young Adult Prevention

Page Last Modified: September 16, 2020.